A Life Worth Living
by KatieArtemis
Summary: Sometimes Thalia just wondered if it would be better to stop running. But Luke wouldn't let her. Set when Luke, Thalia and Annabeth were on the run together. T for language


**A Life Worth Living **

Thalia was so damn tired.

The last weeks had been a complete and utter nightmare. Monsters had lunged at them every couple of hours, leaving them no choice but to run, run, run and run some more.

Somewhere between the third and the fourth attack that day, she'd realized that her life really kind of sucked, despite the fact that she had met Luke and Annabeth. Slowly she was starting to think they might be better off without her, the freaking monster-magnet, and she might just be better off without herself, too.

What was her life worth, anyway? It couldn't be more than two dollars and some already chewed gum or something.

Then, after three sleepless days, they finally found a safe place to spend the night.

It was an old but nonetheless still used warehouse by the beach that was full of cartons with toys and stuffed animals, thousands of them lurking out of every corner.

Needless to say, seven-year-old Annabeth loved the place. She had fallen asleep the second she had lied down on a pile of animal-shaped pillows, leaving Luke and Thalia alone with a lantern they had found in a trash bin and were now using as a sort of camp fire. It was probably around midnight, but there was no way of telling since they didn't have a clock.

Thalia was leaning against a ridiculously big teddy bear that was even taller than she was and Luke sat on the floor, legs crossed, trying to clean his knife of monster slime. They were both too anxious to sleep after all the fighting that day.

"Ew. Cyclops slime is really the worst," Luke complained and threw yet another handkerchief away. "It smells and sticks to my knives like super glue or something. If those are his kids, I really don't think I'd want to meet Poseidon."

"Well, at least even he can't be spookier than this warehouse," Thalia replied tiredly and looked around. "Have I ever mentioned that stuffed animals really creep me out?"

Luke looked up at her amusedly and chuckled. "Oh, come on. Even if that giant teddy should eat you in your sleep, it at least keeps you warm and comfy until then."

"Oh, ha-ha," Thalia said, but nonetheless glanced up at her make-shift pillow suspiciously. "By the way, shouldn't one of us stay awake?"

"I can take the first shift if you want," Luke said and smiled, finally giving up on cleaning his weapon. He laid it away, wiped his hand on his torn jeans and leant back on a box. "I'm not that tired anyway. I could… dunno, count toys or something."

Thalia smiled back. "How can you still be in such a good mood, Luke?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I just got a real sunny disposition."

"Or a real sunny derangement," Thalia deadpanned.

"Hey!" Luke threw a stuffed toy at her but it didn't hit.

She picked it up and grimaced, then turned it around for him to see. "Wow, this is one ugly bunny."

"Ew, you're right. Throw that away. It'll scare Annabeth," Luke said and made a face.

Thalia did so. Then she sank back into the cannibalistic murderer teddy bear.

"By the way, Luke. You smell."

"What?" Luke asked, horrified. "Why would say that?"

"Uh, 'cause I can smell it all the way over here?"

"I just bathed three days ago…"

"Ew, really? Boys are so disgusting. You should wash yourself every day, idiot."

"Annabeth hasn't complained."

"Annabeth's seven. And polite. I'm neither, so I complain."

Luke pouted. "Fine. You know what?"

"What?"

"PILLOW FIGHT!"

He grabbed a pillow shaped like a platypus – kind of a head scratcher, that thing – and lunged at her. She squeaked and turned the murderer teddy into a weapon. They hit each other for what seemed like eternity and laughed hysterically, until Luke managed to catch Thalia off guard. She fell on Annabeth's pillow pile. For a second, they both froze. But miraculously, Annabeth slept on.

"Wow, she must've been _really _tired," Luke concluded.

"Way to go. Smelly Sherlock Castellan has struck yet again."

"Ha-ha." He sat down and picked up the lantern they'd knocked over during their fight. The flame was still alive.

Now his body language betrayed how tired he really was; all movement seemed like a strain to him. He looked so fragile. It was funny how tired people could look so much like children.

"I guess you should get some sleep," he said, mirroring her thoughts. "I could..."

"… Luke?" Thalia asked, thus interrupting him.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Have you ever thought of… stopping?"

He looked at her, mild confusement written in his clear blue eyes. "Stopping what?"

"Running."

"You mean… Like, giving up when the next monster shows up?"

"Yeah."

His blue eyes seemed to actually physically darken, a faint glimmer coming to life that they often bore in battle. _Defiance. _"I'm not sure what you mean..."

Thalia swallowed heavily. "I... I don't know, I'm just tired of it, Luke. I feel like I've been dying my whole life, that's how close monsters are to killing me all the time…" She looked away. "I sometimes wish they'd just get it over with."

He sighed. "Don't be an idiot, Thals. You're not that pathetic, so stop whining."

"I know, but… it's true, isn't it? The second we stop running…" She looked him straight in the eye. "The second we stop running, we die."

"I know," Luke replied matter-of-factly.

They were silent for some time, and all they could hear was the flickering fire. Then he suddenly shifted, just when Thalia was almost certain he'd fallen asleep.

"You know what?" he said. "Just don't stop running."

Thalia furrowed an eyebrow.

"You're stronger than that," Luke added. "And if you're not, I'll kick your butt and keep you moving."

She was somewhat surprised, but couldn't help but grin. "Okay. If you say so."

"Now sleep. I'll play the guard."

"… Thanks, Luke."

She lay down, his words still echoing in her mind.

_Just don't stop running._

And as she thought of all the laughter they shared, the late night pillow fights, the bad jokes and the little girl they had encountered in that alley and come to think of as a sister, she felt a sort of happiness inside that she hadn't felt for years before meeting Luke and Annabeth.

Yes, maybe Thalia Grace's life would be short, dangerous and stressful.

But in the end, it was a life worth living.


End file.
